Jan eBook

And then came all the strange confusion of the noisy
mining town and the end of this particular phase of
Jan’s life.

XXXI

THE COST OF INCOMPETENCE

Jan’s private impressions of the northern mining
town were, first, that it was the most horrible place
he had ever seen; second, that it was perhaps the
most interesting place he had ever seen; and, third
and lastly, that it was a very good place to get away
from, and that he would be pleased to exchange its
complex interests for the clean, arduous stress and
strain of the trail.

Jan spent less than a week in the town; but into that
week was packed perhaps rather more than the allowance
of new impressions and excitement of one sort and
another that go to make up the record of her first
season in town for the average human debutante.
The cynic might protest that many a modern debutante
is as certainly put up for sale to the highest bidder
of the town season as Jan was. Well, at least
the thing is a good deal more carefully wrapped up
and veiled, and a great deal more time is given to
it.

Jean was very firmly set in his determination not
to part with Jan for a cent under five hundred dollars.
(Had not Jan cost him two hundred dollars on the night
of Bill’s disappearance?) Had there been any
really knowledgeable judges of dogs in the town just
then who needed a dog, they would hardly have quarreled
with his owner over Jan’s price. But it
happened there were none. And the result was that
Jan had to be put through his paces five separate
times for the benefit of five separate prospective
purchasers, not one of whom was really capable of
appreciating his superlative quality, before the five
hundred dollars demanded did eventually find its way
into Jean’s pouch and he was called upon to
part with his leader. He intended to give Snip
the leadership of his team now, because Snip was a
curiously remorseless creature; and to buy a husky
as cheaply as might be to take the trace ahead of
Blackfoot—­kindliest of wheelers.

Jean’s parting with Jan was characteristic of
the man. He had conceived an admiring and prideful
affection for the big hound, and had liefer died than
allow this to be shown to any other man. His pride
in his dog’s ability, his full appreciation
of the animal’s many points—­yes,
he would show these, and very insistently, to any man.
But for his perfectly genuine affection; that, as
he understood it, was a culpable weakness which no
living soul must be permitted to suspect—­no,
not even Jan himself. And that was where Jean
fooled himself. For his occasional blows and
frequent curses did not in the least deceive Jan, who
was perfectly well aware of Jean’s fondness
for him, and, to a considerable extent, reciprocated
the feeling. He did not love Jean; but he liked
the man, and trusted and respected him for his all-round
ability and competence.